Peer Support Specialist

The University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law; Sioux Falls (SD); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

State health insurance

Retirement plan with 6% matching

Annual leave 10 hours per month

Sick leave 9.34 hours per month

11 paid holidays

Job summary

The University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law in Sioux Falls is seeking a Peer Support Specialist to support participants in the Minnehaha Drug and DUI Courts. The role involves connecting clients with resources, guiding them through court requirements, and documenting case data to assist ongoing reviews.

Ideal candidates hold an associate or technical degree in a helping field and may already be certified as a Peer Support Specialist, Addiction Counselor, or Prevention Specialist.

Qualifications

• Associate’s or technical school degree in a helping profession (social work, psychology, nursing, criminal justice, etc.)
• Certified, or willing to become certified, as a Peer Support Specialist, Addiction Counselor, or Prevention Specialist
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Responsibilities

• Connecting participants to court related and non-court related resources
• Support participants navigating resources and finding/utilizing transportation
• Ensure participant’s understand requirements of Drug/DUI Court
• Collect and report data as required
• Attend court hearings, team meetings, and case reviews as needed
• Participate in community outreach efforts
• Work with the courts, legal professionals, probation/parole officers, and other key stakeholders

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Listening skills

Verbal communication

Basic computer skills

Confidentiality

Ability to work independently

Education

Associate or technical school degree in a helping profession

Certification as Peer Support Specialist or Addiction Counselor or Prevention Specialist

Tools

Case management software

Job description

Posting Details

Logo Institution The University of South Dakota Working Title Peer Support Specialist Posting Number NFE03143P Department Addiction Counseling & Prevention Physical Location of Position (City) Sioux Falls Posting Text

Required

The Department of Addiction Counseling and Prevention at the University of South Dakota is hiring a Peer Support Specialist. This position will be responsible for providing a variety of services to participants involved in the Minnehaha Drug and DUI Courts. To provide these services, a variety of activities are required:

• Connecting participants to court related and non-court related resources
• Support participants navigating resources and finding/utilizing transportation
• Ensure participant’s understand requirements of Drug/DUI Court
• Collect and report data as required
• Attend court hearings, team meetings, and case reviews as needed
• Participate in community outreach efforts
• Work with the courts, legal professionals, probation/parole officers, and other key stakeholders

Required Qualifications

• Associate’s or technical school degree in a helping profession (social work, psychology, nursing, criminal justice, etc.)
• Certified, or willing to become certified, as a Peer Support Specialist, Addiction Counselor, or Prevention Specialist

Preferred Qualifications

• Personal and/or work experience in the Treatment Courts
• Familiarity with recovery processes, substance use disorder treatment, harm reduction, and criminal justice system protocols, particularly treatment courts
• Basic computer skills for case documentation and reporting. Familiarity with case management software is an advantage
• Strong interpersonal, listening, and verbal communication skills; ability to build rapport and trust with participants
• Prior work experience where confidentiality and discretion were important
• Ability to work independently

The Peer Support Specialist is a grant funded position. The anticipated end date of the grant is 9/30/2029.

This position offers state health insurance and benefits, which includes a retirement plan with 6% matching, 10 hours of annual leave each month, 9.34 hours of sick leave each month, and 11 paid holidays.

Must be authorized to work in the U.S. Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Posting Date 07/20/2026 Closing Date Open Until Filled Yes First Consideration Date 08/03/2026 Advertised Salary Duration of the Term Other If Other, describe duration Anticipated end date of the grant is 9/30/2029 Appointment Percent 100 Work Hours

This will be non-faculty exempt. The Peer Support Specialist will have a malleable schedule that changes depending on the current needs of treatment court participants. It’s projected to be a 40-hour per week position with flexing available to work different lengths of time or different number of days depending on the week. For example, one week may be 8-430p Mon-Fri and the next week could be 9-7p Mon/Tue, 8-4 Wed/Thu, and 8-Noon on Friday.

Typical Hours Worked Per Week Appointment Type Regular Faculty Status No Scope of Search External (includes Internal) If internal, define scope of search This position requires Travel, Overnight stays, Valid Drivers License If other, please indicate Travel required and overnight stays optional. It would be for conferences with a maximum of 5 overnights per year, though the person could opt to not attend overnight conferences with no consequence. per calendar year.

Department Description and Cultural Expectations

USD Addiction Counseling and Prevention is one of ten programs within the USD School of Health Sciences, offering a Baccalaureate of Science and Master of Art Degrees in Vermillion and Online. The School of Health Sciences and the USD Sanford School of Medicine Comprise the Division of Health Affairs.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

USD is committed to fostering a dynamic and welcoming working and learning environment for all. USD provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to ideological, political, or sectarian opinions or perspectives; or race, color, creed, religion, sex, ancestry, disability, national origin or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. USD is committed to the principles of free expression and encourages the timely and rational discussion of topics in an environment that is intellectually and ideologically diverse.

Contact Information

Working Conditions

Cognitive Requirements

Please check the appropriate response that describe the cognitive requirements for this position. Analyzing, Comprehend, Frequent Change, Intense Customer Interaction, Logic, Memory, Multiple Priorities, Multiple Stimuli, Pace-fast, Reading, Reasoning, Verbal Communication, Written Communication

Protective Clothing/Equipment

Please check the appropriate response for this position's use of the following protective clothing or equipment. If other protection is used please identify

Physical Requirements

Please designate the physical requirements of this position Driving, Fine Finger Manipulation (keyboarding, pipefitting, bench work, etc), Sitting for sustained periods of time, Standing for sustained periods of time, Walking Describe any of the conditions selected

Sensory Requirements

Please check the appropriate response that describe the sensory requirements for this position. Hearing, Speaking

Working Conditions & Exposures

Working Conditions or Exposures (or potential exposures) that this position may encounter during the course of the work day. Exposure or Potential Exposure to Blood/Body Fluids, Extreme Weather Conditions (wind, rain, snow, humidity) Please describe, in more detail, any of the conditions checked above

Working Environment

Check the appropriate box(es) that best describes the environment in which the primary function of the position is performed. Clinical Environment, Office Environment, Other Environment (Please explain below) If you have indicated Other Environment, if work tasks involve one or more of the above, or if further explanation is necessary, please use the space provided.

Court room and the courthouse in general

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Documents Needed to Apply

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Optional Documents

• Other
• Reference List